Sandwiches 20 years in the making at Moe's

EXETER — After 20 years of making sandwiches, Patti O'Leary still enjoys coming into work as the owner of Moe's Italian Sandwiches.

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By Corinne Holroyd

seacoastonline.com

By Corinne Holroyd

Posted Jan. 24, 2014 at 2:00 AM

By Corinne Holroyd

Posted Jan. 24, 2014 at 2:00 AM

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Patti O'Leary makes a Moe's sandwich in under 1 minute.

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Patti O'Leary makes a Moe's sandwich in under 1 minute.

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EXETER — After 20 years of making sandwiches, Patti O'Leary still enjoys coming into work as the owner of Moe's Italian Sandwiches.

"The success of my business is my family, friends and my local customers," O'Leary said. "Being here for 20 years, that's success right there."

The Moe's franchise started in Portsmouth in 1959 with Phil "Moe" Pagano's Moe's original sandwich. O'Leary and her brother Dan grew up eating the original sandwich and later decided to open the franchised location in Exeter.

The O'Leary Moe's first opened on Lincoln Street and later moved to its current location at 63 Portsmouth Ave.

"We grew up on Moe's, there's nothing like Moe's," O'Leary said. "I was here working open to close many years. I'll be here as long as I can make sandwiches."

For O'Leary, operating her Moe's franchise has always been a family affair. Her father, Paul, a retired State Police colonel, balances the books, while her mother Lucia, works behind the counter.

"My mother at 83 years old has been cutting pickles for 20 years," O'Leary said.

O'Leary also considers her staff as family. Most of the staff has worked at Moe's for years, and the staff turnover rate is low.

Customers are also a large part of O'Leary's family, especially repeat visitors. Some will just stop in to say hello without ordering anything.

"Eighty percent of my customer base are regulars," O'Leary said. "They've become friends and family to us."

Some customers just love their Moe's, according to O'Leary. She notes that comments on their Facebook page and to her show that Moe's is a large part of customers' lives. She said that people will come straight to her restaurant from the airport after long trips, wanting their first meal back to be a Moe's original.

Other patrons went to the Portsmouth Moe's when they were younger and now come to the Exeter branch as adults and seniors.

One customer, a woman in Washington, even paid for O'Leary to ship Moe's sandwiches to her dying husband overnight in order to reach him in time across the country.

"If you stood here in line at lunch, we know our customers names," O'Leary said. "The loyalty of my customers keeps us alive."

Staff will even have some regulars' orders ready for them. The most popular meal is a "Moe's and a Coke," according to O'Leary.

While the official anniversary of the Exeter Moe's was Thursday, O'Leary is having a customer appreciation day on Monday, Jan. 27. All original Moe's whole sandwiches will be $3, one per customer.

"It's not just a job to us," O'Leary said. "Exeter has been fabulous to us."